Binder inherits first V8 victory as Nissany takes penalty

Austrian racer Rene Binder finally stood on the top step of the podium in the opening race of the World Series Formula V8 3.5 event at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza despite finishing second on the road.

The Lotus racer finished behind RP Motorsport’s Roy Nissany during Saturday’s race, but the Israeli driver took a five second time penalty after being deemed to have gained an advantage by cutting the chicane at turn one and assuming the lead.

Whereas Binder inherited the win by finishing 1.880 seconds behind Nissany, the second Lotus of Pietro Fittipaldi endured a tough race, losing ground from pole position at the start and then acquiring a puncture after contact with Damiano Fioravanti.

Matevos Isaakyan got the better of SMP Racing by AVF team-mate Egor Orudzhev early in the race to claim the final spot on the podium, with the second Russian dropping to fifth behind Alfonso Celis Jr.

Orudzhev held off the challenge of Diego Menchaca for long spells of the race before the Mexican found himself displaced by Nelson Mason on the final lap heading into Parabolica, with the Teo Martin Motorsport ultimately claiming rookie honours as a result.

Konstantin Tereschenko finished eighth ahead of the recovering Fittipaldi, while Giuseppe Cipriani claimed the final point on offer for Il Barone Rampante after both Fioravanti and Yu Kanamaru retired with mechanical issues.